Foster holds hands up… may not be enough

Ben Foster admitted he is lucky to still be in the Manchester United team and thanked Sir Alex Ferguson for keeping him there, after the stopper’s errors in recent matches. The Lemmington-born ‘keeper has made high profile mistakes in games against Manchester City and Arsenal this season, leading to speculation that Tomasz Kuszczak may replace Foster in the team. But Foster performed confidently in United’s win over Stoke City after Ferguson’s show of faith.

“I have to say a big thanks to the boss for sticking by me,” said Foster.

“Last Sunday was great for the team but personally, it was an absolute disaster. I was gutted afterwards. I was the only one in the changing room with an upside down smile on his face.

“I pretty much buried my head in the sand. I didn’t really want to watch the television and there was no way I was reading the papers the next day.

“When we got into training I had to face up to it. I had to look at the replays, analyse them and learn from them. The goalkeeping coach has been on at me all week and was really hard on me.”

Foster, whom United signed from Saturday’s opponents Stoke City in 2005, is in the team while regular Edwin van der Sar recovers from a broken hand. But the ‘keeper, who has two caps for England, says he will become a better player for his mistakes.

“I have learnt from it. You are going to have those days as a goalkeeper sometimes and you have to keep them to a minimum,” said Foster.

“The more you play the more concentration and consistency you develop.

“Edwin is a typical example of Mr Cool. He is a fantastic professional and he is someone I want to emulate at Manchester United. He is exactly what I am aiming to be for years to come.”

van der Sar recently confirmed that he will be fit within three weeks – a recovery that will likely end Foster’s spell in the team.